


Titanium

by EmbraceSadness



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Bluepulse Bash, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 01:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7294084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmbraceSadness/pseuds/EmbraceSadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Come with us. Come with me." And, for a moment there, Bart had hesitated. Because, how was he supposed to trust this guy after everything that had just happened? Why should he trust him? It seemed like the dumbest move he could possibly go for. It seemed like this was a mistake. This was, of course, only for a moment. And then, Bart took Jaime's hand. Rated T for language. Slash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Titanium

**Author's Note:**

> So, i'm a little hesitant to post this, because, as I said on my FF account, this work seems less "flowy" then all my other ones. But, here it is nonetheless...
> 
> Enjoy a daily dose of Bluepulse!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't (and won't ever) own YJ... (sadly). Please support the official creators and owners.
> 
> Oh! And, please review if you liked it!

 

**I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose**

**Fire away, fire away**

**Ricochet, you take your aim**

**Fire away, fire away**

**You shoot me down but I won't fall**

**I am titanium**

_**You shoot me down but I won't fall** _

_**I am titanium** _

* * *

 He hadn't meant to do it.

 He stared around in complete and utter shock at all the destruction around him. Around his own school. A place that he had believed to be secure and safe. A place that he thought he could depend on.

 Books and papers were scattered about everywhere. Bookshelves knocked down and classroom doors flown off their hinges. Locker doors wide open and completely bare, wallpaper peeling off as well as chunks of the ceiling, billboards and sign-up sheets for various clubs hanging loosely off of the wall.

 What...had happened?

 Bart Allen remembered only...anger. Pure, unfiltered rage. And then, nothing. It had been like everything had suddenly come undone, and now he woke up to... _this_?

 But, there was a part of him on the inside that knew the truth. That recognized that _he_ had done this. Or, at least had been involved in some way.

 But...why? And, _how_?

 Bart shoved those questions aside and rose to his feet, eyes flittering around the room in shock, still trying to take it all in. He rose a hand to his head, and suddenly felt extremely dizzy, as though he were experiencing some sort of lousy vertigo session. He let out a groan, massaging his temples.

 ' _Okay. Calm down, Allen. What's the last thing you remember?_ '

 But, this was apparently a problem, as Bart couldn't really remember _anything_. His entire mind felt foggy. As though a giant cloud were passing overhead, blocking any sense of recollection the boy had to begin with.

 ' _Not good. Not good._ '

 Completely baffled by the situation he was in, Bart continued on walking forward, despite the initial dizziness, which seemed to be slowly dissipating. He looked around still, eyes taking in anything and everything, as though he hoped that he would find an answer along the way as well.

 Because, he was only noticing something else now as well;

 The school was completely deserted.

 And, Bart was _pretty sure_ it wasn't because they had all decided to randomly ditch.

 As though the words "completely deserted" were suddenly hell bent on proving him wrong, he heard a hushed voice-just barely a whisper-speaking fearfully from the other side of a door.

 "-you have to _help_ _us_. My God, _please_. It is _completely_ out of-"

 She was a woman who could be no older than thirty-five. Long, blonde hair with eyes as big and wide as Bart's were. Except, hers were filled with fear. And, that terror doubled upon seeing Bart, who's eyes suddenly narrowed in confusion.

 Why was she-?

 But, he didn't even manage to fully divulge this thought, as she suddenly slammed the door and locked it from the inside, as she continued to talk in a hushed whisper to whoever was on the other line.

 It was as though she were trying to...keep someone out.

 And, the way she had looked at Bart…

 A shiver ran down the boy's spine, as he suddenly pulled up the hood on his dark green jacket, clutching it so tightly that his knuckles began to turn a ghastly white. There was a sudden lump in his throat that he just could not seem to swallow. Maybe it was his heart that had long since jumped from it's spot in his chest up towards the entrance of his throat, right behind his clenched teeth that gritted together almost painfully.

 Bart found himself hurrying to the front exit of his school more quickly and nervously then he should have.

 He exited to the cool and calm breeze that managed to calm his frazzled nerves somewhat, but only for about four seconds, as he suddenly caught sight of a police officer leaning against his car.

 Suddenly, the lady from inside came bursting out the other exit and running towards the man at a surprising speed. Bart clenched his fists at his sides, and began walking even faster towards the street across from the school. He couldn't help but get the feeling that something was really _really_ wrong. Or at least...off.

 Meaning Bart needed an exit strategy. _And fast_.

 "-there he is! Over there! He was the one that made everything-"

 Though he had his back facing them, Bart just _knew_ they were talking about him. _Knew_ they were pointing at him.

 _Knew they were blaming him_.

 And then, of course;

 "Hey! Kid! Come over here for a second-!"

 And that was all it took. Bart was off.

 He ran. Ran faster than he had ever before. With the wind in his hair and his feet slapping the concrete below, his heaving breaths managed to fill his headspace enough to make him forget about everything else. For a little while, at least.

 But, Bart suddenly realized that maybe he was running a little _too_ quickly. Houses at his sides were beginning to blur, and he found himself becoming even more dizzy then he had been before. He suddenly felt sick. Like, _really_ sick. Bile rose in his throat and he almost threw up, but kept on running through the streets.

 People were beginning to blur now as well. And, he could just see their eyes widening in the slightest as he passed by, but then they were gone, and Bart was running _way_ too fast. He _so_ had to slow down.

 It didn't _seem_ like he was running fast, but he just _knew_ he was. Because, it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion around him, _that_ was how fast he was moving. The terrified looks on their faces there one minute and gone the next, as Bart heaved in and out and took another deep breathe in, feeling like collapsing.

 But, he kept running.

 And, though he may not have wanted to admit it, deep down, he felt something. Underneath all that fear and exhaust. Past those terrified faces and blurred houses, something began to move in Bart. Something began to sparkle. To shine.

 Something began to take form in Bart's heart. And that sounded _super_ cheesy and _way_ too much like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but it was _true_.

 Bart felt excited.

 Excited and happy and free. Because he was _running_ , and _fast_ at that. For the first time in his life, the boy felt as though he meant something. As though he had a place in the world. As though he finally _belonged_ somewhere.

 As though he were finally... _home_.

* * *

 

 Bart slammed the door upon entering his family home, only to find it completely empty.

 Which was... _odd_. Considering the fact that his grandmother and grandfather were retired and had hands pained with years of arthritis and knees too weak and wobbly to even be able to stand for more than five minutes. That, and they were always home to collect Bart.

 After his parents had died...Well, somebody had needed to step up. And that "somebody" had been his grandparents, Barry and Iris, who were very old but very kind nonetheless.

 So, the fact that they weren't there upon his arrival didn't help to calm down the already hyperventilating boy. Infact, it only made the pit in his stomach that had appeared not so long idea grow wider as his heart battered unsettlingly in his chest.

 Bart shut his eyes and took in a deep breath.

 Freaking out...wouldn't help in the slightest.

 ' _That's it, Allen. Just breathe. Breathe_.'

 "-when an unnatural occurrence took place at Central City High School earlier on this morning-"

 Bart's eyes snapped open and he whipped around to see his television on. A news station. Portraying news of what had happened earlier on that morning.

 What it depicted made Bart's blood run cold.

 On the screen was an aerial shot of a school. Not just any school. _His schoo_ l. And that wasn't even the scariest part. The headline of the report was displayed in big, white, bold letters that seemed to taunt Bart as his eyes scanned across them fleetingly.

 SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCE AT LOCAL SCHOOL

 "A regular day at the high school was interrupted when a sudden bout of _electricity_ coursed through the school, shutting down not only half the neighborhood, but also harming many of the unknowing, victimized students. Police say that the cause of the sudden convulsion is unknown, but, many believe that the paranormal had more to do with this then the authorities are telling us-"

 Bart suddenly felt _much_ more sick then he had been feeling before. So sick, that he promptly fell to the floor and began dry-heaving. Many memories that he'd rather forget about suddenly popped up freshly in his mind.

 " _Dipshit!_ "

 " _Look at the fag everybody!_ "

 " _Heard he's an orphan! His fucking grandparents take care of him!_ "

 " _You an orphan, charity case?_ "

 And then anger. So much red and madness just filling him up, and _he was going to overflow and OhGodHateHATE_ _ **HATEHATEHaTEHaTEHAteHa**_ -

 And Bart was vibrating.

 He didn't really understand _how_ or even _why_ , but somehow he _was_. It was like he was running again, except it felt more tingly and he was in more pain. His entire abdomen felt as it were on _fucking_ fire, just like his legs had felt while running as well.

 And, he could see his legs becoming all fuzzy as he _literally_ was _vibrating_ his way _through the floor_. His skin began to show through his ripped jeans and wrinkled overtop, as scarred and bony as it was. Bart found that it was getting harder to breathe.

 Actually, he had ceased performing the vital action a while ago.

 And, this was _bad_. _Really bad._ Because, Bart knew it in his heart that this was all his fault. That he was to blame. That the apparent "supernatural" occurrence that had happened? It's blame lay with _him_. And, he had injured; hell, maybe even _killed_ hundreds!

 The thought alone made Bart want to retch again.

 But, he was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door that shocked him out of his molecular vibrating state and right back into his now cold, harsh reality.

 There was another knock at the door. This one louder and prominent.

 Bart _hadn't_ imagined it…

 In seconds, he had scrambled to his feet and taken off out of the living room and into his bedroom, feet clambering noisily and hastily as he made his way to his bed, cursing himself for being so noisy and maybe even alerting the personnel outside that he was there.

 He threw the stuffed animals off the bed hastily and practically ripped apart the mattress in order to get to what lay beneath it.

 Two hundred dollars. In cash.

 It wasn't much. But, it would last for a while.

 What else would he need?

 Food. Food and water were definite necessities. Bart was up once more, rushing back to the kitchen and rummaging through his fridge for anything that he could possibly find. Things that would last. That didn't have expiration dates.

 Energy bars. He would need a lot of those.

 The following minutes were a blur to Bart, as he rushed about the house packing articles of clothing as well as non-perishable food items. His mind was racing and he felt as though he were in autopilot.

 All he knew was that he had to get out. And _quickly_.

 There was more rapping at the door. Almost as though they were trying to break it down.

 " _Police! Open up!_ "

 They probably were.

 " _This is your final warning! If you do not open this door, we will_ break _it down._ "

 ' _I need to leave. Now.'_

 Tossing the bag hastily over his shoulder, Bart ran to the back door in a rush. He could hear the bangs at the door as they tried to break it down. Heard the clicks of guns ready to fire. As his hands found their way to the door handle and carelessly tried turning the knob, he found that it wouldn't turn.

 It was locked.

 _Perfect_.

 There was more banging now. And, he could hear the door being broken off of his hinges, In a frenzied panic, Bart tried turning the knob once again, but, of course, it didn't budge. He frantically twisted the stupid handle but _nothing was happening, holy shit-_

 There was a crash from the other room.

 They had _obviously_ succeeded in breaking down the door.

_Shit._

 " _Freeze!"_

 " _Hands in the air!"_

 " _Police!"_

 Of course, Bart was nowhere near their line of sight. But, one more minute, and he would be caught. He had to move quickly.

 He needed an idea. Something. _Anything_.

 Keys? He had no idea where his grandparents had hidden them.

 Negotiate? He had always sucked at that.

 Hide? _Fucking where_?

 Footsteps became louder and more prominent. And, in seconds, Bart knew that they would walk into the kitchen and spot him.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

 It was then that Bart came up with a brilliant idea.

 He began to will his body to move faster. To have his blood flow in a more hasty manner. He felt his entire body begin to shake.

 Begin to _vibrate_.

 Bart suddenly felt a surge of electricity pass through him, and that nauseous feeling returned once more, but he shrugged it off instantly. He looked down at his hands to see that, like before, they were almost see through.

 Like he was there but not.

 " _Police! Freeze of else-!"_

 He sure hoped this worked…

 Otherwise, he was dead. _Literally_.

 Just as he heard the sound of a gunshot go off, Bart stepped through the wall. Not _around_ it. Not _above_ it. Not _below_ it.

 He actually _phased_ through the _fucking wall_ itself.

 Everything went kind of weird at that point. It was like the world had pushed the mute button on itself, and all Bart could hear was this annoying ringing in his ears. Everything felt lightweight all of a sudden, and it was as though he were walking on air. His mouth felt dry. His entire body felt cold.

 Bart fell to the floor weakly on the other side, gasping for breath. Because, he suddenly found it very hard to breath without it feeling like he were breathing through a wall. The world was spinning. _Bart_ was spinning.

 _Shit_.

 Bart forced himself to get up at that point. Though, he seriously considered just dying there on the ground. But, he had to get up. Had to keep moving. He had to find his grandparents. Find safety. Find...something.

 Even if he didn't know what he was searching for.

 So Bart got up. He got up and kept moving.

 Because, that was what he had been taught to do in life. It was the only thing he could do now. To honour his grandparents, Bart would keep moving. To honour his fallen classmates, Bart would keep moving. To honour himself, Bart would _keep movin_ g.

 He would keep moving.

 _Keep moving_.

* * *

 He walked.

 Walked a long way. Walked until the birds fell silent and wolves howls took up the remaining silence. Walked until the bristling of the forests leaves fell on deaf ears. Walked until the sun set and the moon was set high in the sky as its replacement.

 Walked until there was nothing left to walk for. And, when that happened, he still walked, because it was all that he knew to do.

 He didn't know where to walk. He didn't know why he was walking there. All he knew were the clothes on his back and the lonesome cries of those sad little wolves. The bristling of the leaves forgotten in the deadly night of the forest.

 When walking, your thoughts tend to consume you.

 When you've been alone for so long, your sadness tends to eat you up whole.

 The two together were not a great combination.

 But, he kept right on walking. There was nothing else to do, after all. The moon was his companion, and his thoughts were both his rivals and his allies.

 Hey. At least they weren't the police.

 Keep moving.

 Keep moving.

 _Keep moving_.

* * *

 It wasn't much later that he heard footsteps, voices, and the light from blinding flashlights fell upon him.

 H-how had they…?

 " _Over there!_ "

 Bart took off running one more. For some reason, that same "super speed" thing that had come over him before did not seem to be affecting him now. _Which_ was oddly convenient, wasn't it? Bart kept on running though, hearing the clomping of boots through mud directly behind him.

 The yelling grew louder, and Bart's breathes came in fast and harsh rhythm that resembled that of his loud, beating heart. The lights were so bright as they shone upon him, that he could see his shadow on the terrain in front of him. A poor, scared little boy with nowhere to run to. He might as well just stop. There was no point in even trying anymore, right?

 _'You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am titanium.'_ It was a chant that his mother had sang to him all the time when he had been younger. Bart felt tears prickle in his eyes as he recalled the sacred memory that only he knew about. He shut his eyelids together tightly and continued on running with newfound strength wore bare on his heart. Newfound hope.

 That was one thing he still had. One thing they couldn't take away from him; _Hope_.

_'You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am-'_

 Bart's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he felt himself bash into what could only be a brick wall. He fell to the dirt below upon impact with the-upon further inspection-now found to be male cop, who did not hesitate to point his gun right in Bart's face as soon as he realized what had just crashed into him.

 He was surrounded.

_Shit._

 That had to be the fifth " _shit_ " that day...

 How had everything gone so wrong so fast?

 " _The threat has been neutralized! I repeat, the threat has been neutralized!_ "

 Well, it had been a good run while it lasted, Bart supposed. What else was there to do now other than die? _Nothing_.

 " _What should we do, sir?_ "

 " _Fire at will, is what we should do! This mutant freak deserves to die! No holding back!_ "

 Would his grandparents be disappointed? Probably. They wouldn't want him. Nobody would want him. Not after everything he had done. Not after all the innocents he had harmed. The man in front of him grinned down sickly at him, an evil sort of look in his eye. He positioned his gun so that the butt of it was right in Bart's face.

 Bart was going to die, wasn't he?

 Well, at least he was accepting it. At least he was willing to leave. At least he knew it was his turn.

 " _You heard him, men!_ _Fire_ _!"_

_Sorry, Dad. I never got to live your legacy._

 Bart squeezed his eyes shut tightly, fingers curling up and his entire body tensing, waiting for the bullets to pierce through his body. He felt a single tear trickle down his cheek.

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

 What Bart had been expecting were gunshots. Many of them. All going off at the same time. He had expected a loud ringing in his ears, perhaps momentary pain, and then nothing at all. After all, that was what death entailed.

 What he _hadn't_ been expecting was to hear the screams of men, and gunshots as they hit not him but something... _metallic_?

 _Wait-what_?

 Bart cracked an eye open slightly, only to be met with a shocking sight. A man was there in front of him. Not even a man, but a boy. A boy who just so happened to have _blue armor_ covering _everything but his face._

 Like _that_ was completely normal...

 (but, Bart wasn't really one to talk, was he?)

 The men now had all their guns aiming at the newcomer, looks of pure terror upon their faces as they screamed out their battle cries, all the while letting loose bullets like the mad men that they were.

 But, they barely even phased the raven-haired boy. Infact, he barely even flinched at all. The bullets hit that weird armor of his and bounced off of it as though it were made of…

_Titanium._

 ' _You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am titanium.'_

 He had dark skin and deep, brown eyes that seemed to glare at each and every one of the men respectively. Bart found himself in a state of panic.

 Was this guy a friend or an enemy?

 Bart suddenly let out a scream of pain as he felt something lodge itself into his shoulder. That "something" was obviously a bullet and it hurt like _fucking hell._ Bart couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut, whilst letting a couple of stray tears trail down his face.

_Ow. Fuck._

 For the millionth time that day, something completely unexpected happened. At this point, you'd think Bart would be completely used to it, but, for some odd reason, he was not.

 Go figure.

 The teen in blue armor let out an enraged scream, suddenly materialising two canons by his sides and _wait, what the actual fuck? The hell?_

 Despite the fact that super speed and phasing through walls weren't daily occurrences, Bart was _pretty sure_ that randomly materialising self-generated canons from weird blue armor was a million times more odd.

 Honestly, everything that happened after that went by in a blur. Bart could vaguely remember more screams and gunshots. And the whirring of some sort of weapon. But, that was really it.

 Maybe he had zoned out from the pain or blood loss. Maybe he had shut his eyes, too terrified to look.

 Really, it wasn't important.

 The next thing he remembered after that was what really mattered.

 There was silence. And then, a hand. Reaching out to him. A hand on his shoulder, gently touching him. Bart opened his eyes to come face to face with the boy once more.

 This time, there was no blue armor. And the angry look on his face had been replaced with one of that of compassion and warmth. And...worry? He almost looked afraid.

 But, not for himself. _For Bart_.

 Bart's green eyes widened as the two stared at one another for a long while, just sitting on the muddy, earth of the forest floor, drinking the entire situation in. It was honestly difficult to tell how long they sat there. And, if somebody had asked Bart in recent times, he wouldn't be able to recall just why they had sat there for so long, staring into each other's eyes.

 The boy had brown eyes. The prettiest ones he had ever seen.

 "I'm Jaime."

 It was completely unexpected, but the words fell from the stranger's mouth nonetheless. Bart could see every movement of his lips, and the little spittle that formed at the corners of the boy's- _Jaime's_ -mouth, he was _that_ close.

 "B-bart…" he managed to stammer out, carrying the title of "worst socializer ever" proudly upon his back. Honestly, could that have sounded more stupid?

 It was then that Jamie got up. And, Bart abruptly has the feeling that this man wasn't going to hurt him. That he was safe. That "Jaime" wasn't going to let anybody hurt him. The feeling was oddly comforting. Despite the fact that he was practically a stranger, Bart felt good inside. Like his heart was fluttering in his chest and his stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies.

 "You're like me, then..." Jaime said, "That's why they were chasing after you. And innocent kid. They do it to all of us, you know."

 "T-there's more of us?" Bart questioned in shock.

 Jaime smiled. "You know it. Way too many to count." He stuck out his hand towards Bart, almost as though he were... _beckoning_ him?

 "Come with us. Come with _me_."

 And, for a moment there, Bart had hesitated. Because, how was he supposed to trust this guy after everything that had just happened? _Why_ should he trust him? It seemed like the dumbest move he could possibly go for. It seemed like this was a mistake.

 This was, of course, only for a moment. And then, Bart took Jaime's hand. Accepted it. Because, you never got anywhere in life without moving, right? This was an opportunity that he just couldn't pass down.

 Besides, where else was he going to go? What else was he going to do?

 ' _The thing about life is that there's never really an answer to it,_ ' his mother's voice rang on in his head, ' _You don't live in a place, on a planet, in a universe. You live in the moment. It's how you survive. It's how we_ all _survive.'_

 And, right then and there, in that moment, despite the fact that he was the odd mix of orphaned, supernatural freak, and criminal; running through that forest whilst holding Jaime's hand, Bart _finally_ felt like he was home…

 ' _You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am titanium.'_


End file.
